Since I started studying, I’ve seen a lot of the world and called several places my home. I always say I have many homes in this world, and that’s what it feels like. I can make pretty much any place feel like home, since I decide where I am going to. Travelling solo has many advantages. I never have to adapt to anybody else’s wishes and if I’ve chosen a travel partner with ideas I don’t like, we just go our own ways. And then my boyfriend came into the picture.
Travelling by yourself, you’ll meet many people. Many of them will only become a good memory and perhaps a facebook friend. And then along came Mark. Mark has already diverted me from travel plans on several occasions. With him living in Adelaide, my travels always seemed to bring me back there, with a 6 month stay as my longest diversion. For the first time since I met him, he’s adjusting to my life now, and coming to New Zealand.
Being a kiwi himself, he knows many places here and is very excited to show me some of his favorites. Stubborn as I am, I have already got my own plan ready. My boyfriend is sort of indecisive and doesn’t plan at all. The when and where of his coming over keeps changing and as an independent traveler, I find it hard to deal with. I’ve got it all figured out in my head. I’ll start with a loop through Otago and the Southland, then make my way to the West Coast and zigzag up to Picton, where after about 7 weeks of travelling, I’ll take the ferry to Wellington.
In Mark’s head things are a bit different. Sure, he’ll go camping with me and travel around the South Island. But mainly he’d like to show me Wellington, the city he’s from, and take me out on a boat around the Bay of Islands. Sure, I’d love to do all this. But Wellington is planned for the end of 2014, after the South Island and possibly some more work, and Auckland and the Northland are at the very end of my visa time here.
My budget minded brain is connecting dots that go from Queenstown to Auckland, to Wellington and back, and is crunching numbers that are way too high for me cope with. I’ve got my plan, and it’s friendly for my bank account and just makes sense. I’ve got no clue how the two of us are going to make all this happen. Especially since mister indecisive isn’t even sure how long he’ll stay for (or when he’s going to arrive).
I feel like I’m losing my freedom and now compromises need to be made. I am just not sure how far I am willing to go. I am finally doing a road trip in my own car, something I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time and missed out on in Australia. For now I’m making my own plans. I’m so excited to see this country and can’t wait to get started. I really hope he’ll join me and tag along. I might even divert and mix up my itinerary. But this is the trip I’ve been planning for weeks now, and not even my partner can come between me and my destinations.